''Unknown Origins'' () is a 2020 Spanish thriller film directed by , written by David Galán Galindo and Fernando Navarro, based on Galindo's novel of the same name, and starring Javier Rey,

Verónica Echegui Verónica Fernández Echegaray (born 16 June 1983), known professionally as Verónica Echegui, is a Spanish actress and director. Since making her feature film debut as the title character of the 2006 drama '' My Name Is Juani'', she has appea ...

and Brays Efe alongside

Antonio Resines Antonio Fernández Resines (born 7 August 1954) is a Spanish film and television actor. Resines made his feature film debut in 1980 in ''La paloma azul'', also featuring in '' Opera prima'' and ''La mano negra''. He gained early notoriety in th ...

Plot

Set in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

in 2019, the plot sees a psychotic character using comics and

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

es' origin stories to kill people and leaves a mark. One man is killed after being fed enough supplements and steroids to be the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

. Another has his heart plucked out and is covered in a metallic suit. Attempting to stop this is Inspector David, a man who feels comics are for overgrown adults and quickly pays the price for that sort of criticism. Initially, he is assisted by Cosme, a cop spending his final days on the force after being forced to turn in his resignation. David's boss is the homicide chief (Norma), who loves cosplaying. In her words, she doesn't read comics, rather she watches movies and anime. Joining the duo is Jorge Elías, Cosme's son. He is a comic

geek The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In th ...

and runs a comic book store in the city. When Cosme realizes the demented villain commits murders in the form of creating superhero origin stories, he feels Jorge is better suited to work the case with David. Things escalate when David realizes his parents were killed the same way as

Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...

and

Thomas Wayne Dr. Thomas Wayne, Doctor of Medicine, M.D. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the father of Bruce Wayne (Batman), and husband of Martha Wayne as well as the paternal grandfather of Damian Wayn ...

were killed in the comics. Jorge, David, and Norma go up against a secret killer who is ahead of them the whole time. With time running out for the trio to find the killer, they face pressure as the news goes public. Bruguera, the forensic man in the department, is eventually revealed to be the killer and the rest of the story follows the trio attempting to put an end to his nefarious plans.

Cast

Release

The film was scheduled to show at the 2020

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since ...

, but filmmakers pulled it from the schedule when the festival dates changed from March to August. It was released on August 28, 2020 on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "4" , 2021 , ,

8th Feroz Awards The 8th ceremony of the Feroz Awards was held at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid, on 2 March 2021. The ceremony was hosted by Pilar Castro. Originally scheduled to take place on 8 February 2021 at the Teatro Ciudad de Alcobendas in Alcobendas, the ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Comedy Film , , , , align = "center" , , - , rowspan = "3" ,

35th Goya Awards The 35th Goya Awards ceremony, presented by the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AACCE), honored the best in Spanish films of 2020 and took place at the Teatro del S ...

, , Best Adapted Screenplay , , David Galán Galindo, Fernando Navarro , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Makeup and Hairstyles , , Paula Cruz, Jesús Guerra, Nacho Díaz , , , - , Best Special Effects , , Lluis Rivera Jove, Helmuth Barnert , ,

References

External links